Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1748 of 1879

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Feb. 9

by 107 Comments

  1. Mood:

    2. Serene

  2. Best part of my weekend:

    3. Going for a run outside on Saturday afternoon. It was sunny and warm for a few hours; instead of having to bundle up in layers, I got to wear shorts (it’s the small things that make me happy)!

  3. Eyes and lips:

    4. Clarins Nature Temptations Eye Palette on the eyes and Smashbox Stunning lipstick on the lips

  4. Sometimes I wish I could ____:

    5. Sometimes I wish I could be more cutthroat when it comes to work.

  5. Outfit:

    6. Light blue wide-legged jeans, light blue sweater, white tank top, red trench coat and Adidas Shell Toe shoes

  6. My favorite facial feature:

    7. My eyes!

  7. The story behind my name:

    8. My mom named me after the actress Karen Black after seeing her in the movie Airport 1975. Mom thought she was “sexy,” LOL!

  8. Face product I can’t live without:

    9. Shiseido 55 Sunscreen

  9. What’s for dinner?

    10. Well, I haven’t even had breakfast yet, but I’m craving a cheeseburger BIG TIME.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Do a couple loads of laundry, find a new freelance writing gig, make an appointment to get my hair cut, call my bro

It’s that time again, ladies! Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Best part of my weekend:
Eyes and lips:
Sometimes I wish I could ____:
Outfit:
My favorite feature:
The story behind my name:
Face product I can’t live without:
What’s for dinner?
Weekly goals:

For whatever it’s worth, we don’t have to vanquish Monday altogether; all we have to do is keep it at bay for 24 hours! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Feb. 8

by 17 Comments

Tabs is freakin’ OBSESSED with Hello Kitty and can’t wait for MAC’s Hello Kitty collection to go on sale this Thursday.

Earlier today I even caught him pre-ordering the Lucky Tom eyeshadow palette ($38) from Nordstrom.

I pre-ordered the Beauty Powders last week, but Tabs will have to get his own.

Are you excited about the collection? Do you know what you want yet?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Smashing Giveaway: Enter to Win $80 in Smashbox for Valentine’s Day

by 331 Comments

Update: The giveaway is closed! I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thank you for entering!

When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day always stressed me out.

I liked to give out V-Day cards to my classmates, but before I’d sign the cards I’d separate them into two piles. The first contained the “lovey dovey” cards — the ones reserved for the boys who were less yucky than average — and the other pile contained the “strictly platonic” cards.

Smashbox O-Gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss ($22) gives me grade school V-Day flashbacks.

Almost like magic, it turns a different shade of pink based on the wearer’s skin chemistry (think Hypercolor for lips!).

There was a time when the thought of kissing a boy totally and completely grossed me out, but taste- and scent-free O-Gloss turns my lips a shade of rose I like to call, “I’ve been making out with C. Bale El Hub for hours!”

Take O-Gloss home for Valentine’s Day!

I think it’s time for a giveaway! 🙂

The Prize

Thanks to Smashbox Cosmetics, one luck winner will take home a tube of Smashbox O-Gloss and a set of Smashbox eyeshadow duos and brushes, just in time for Valentine’s Day ($81 value).

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter, and you can do both to double your chances to win!

  1. If you haven’t already signed up to receive Makeup and Beauty Blog daily email updates, then enter your email in the pink box below (or click this link).
  2. You may also enter by completing the following sentence and leaving it in the comments section at the bottom of this post (be sure to use a valid email address):

This Valentine’s Day I plan to kiss _______.

A few examples to spark your imagination…

  • This Valentine’s Day I plan to kiss the hot guy who sits three cubicles down from me at work.
  • This Valentine’s Day I plan to kiss my cat.
  • This Valentine’s Day I plan to kiss Detective Stabler.
  • This Valentine’s Day I plan to kiss my pillow … because kissing frogs is totally played out, yo!

Enter your email address:

I’ll choose the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Tuesday, February 10. The giveaway is open to all US and international readers. Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup, Feb. 1-8

by 15 Comments


Easy like Sunday morning.

Good afternoon, ladies!

How goes it today? I hope you’re having a good weekend so far.

It has been a leisurely one for me. I slept in today, and now I’m drinking coffee and turning my mind into mush with a few Tivo’d episodes of Paranormal State, a “reality” TV show about a group of collegiate ghost busters.

If you’re looking for some gentle brain liquification, may I suggest a few of last week’s freshly squeezed Makeup and Beauty Blog posts?

Glitter Is Good: The Bobbi Brown Blushed Pink Collection
“I can’t hang when it comes to big ol’ teeny bopper chunks of glitter (aye, I’m 33!), so any eyeshadow that makes me look like a Hot Topic refugee just isn’t an option.”

Heavy Hydration on the Cheap: Johnson’s Body Care 24-Hour Moisturing Body Wash and Lotion
“In winter my legs get so dry that iguanas envy me, but after using both the 24-Hour Body Wash and Lotion for a week things changed.”

The Ecotools Retractable Kabuki Brush Will Sneak Up on Ya
“Okay, so it’s not a flame thrower or a pocket super computer, but the Retractable Kabuki exudes awesomeness in other ways. It’s built for travel, fitting snugly into my makeup bag.”

Sheer Is In Bloom at Prescriptives
“For the new In Bloom collection, Prescriptives borrowed heavily from one the GREATEST painters of all time: Mother Nature. To my eye, the palette draws inspiration from sunflowers, marigolds, petunias and lilies. The look itself features sheer eyes, cheeks and a rich, shiny lip.”

Just Call Me Doe Eyes: Tarte Bottoms Up Mascara
“If you took away my Tarte Bottoms Up lower lash mascara ($14), I’d probably get the shakes and start rocking back and forth. Maybe drool a little bit too. Tarte made it special for lower lashes. It’s a water-resistant (not quite waterproof) black, and even though I’ve only been using it for a week, I’m already hooked. ”

10 Awesome Workout Tips and Tricks
I’m hoping these tips will help me get in fightin’ shape before summer, *crosses fingers*. I got a long way to go, LOL!

A’ight… I’m off to the gym for a quick workout, and then it’s homework time for me. Have a great Sunday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Paint Your Pout Pink and Red with Smashbox Cosmetics for Valentine’s Day

by 32 Comments

I still haven’t made plans for Valentine’s Day… The closest I came to thinking about it was last week, when my classmate interviewed me for a Valentine’s Day story he was writing for the school newspaper.

Classmate: What’s your idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day date?
Karen: The perfect date would start with my husband cleaning the house without me having to ask him to!
Classmate: Really?
Karen: Yeah, really. Then we’d go to a restaurant that served really garlic-y food. I’d order shrimp scampi with hella garlic and then ask him to make out with me as a test of his devotion. Ideally, he’d say yes.

This morning, to get myself in the Valentine’s spirit, I ate a few candy hearts for breakfast (Mmm) and tried on these pink and red Photo Finish Lipsticks ($22) and Lip Enhancing Glosses ($18) from Smashbox Cosmetics.

Valentine’s Day Lip Looks by Smashbox

If you want to shine for your V-Date, consider a shimmery lip look using Electrify (pictured up top), a hot pink with silver sparkles.


Scoop’s a subtle pink with shimmer and has a casual feel to me, like something I’d wear with browns and taupes on a lunch date.


Pop, a creamy, peachy pink, looks like something I’d wear with smokey eyes to dinner.


If you and your date plan to hit the red carpet, give Starlit (a shimmery deep red) try.
[Continue reading…]

MAC Lavender Whip Cremesheen Lipstick and Ever So Rich Glass: This Purple Lip Combo Reigns

by 33 Comments

Lavender Whip lipstick and Ever So Rich gloss are two products that don’t reveal their true colors until they’ve been applied.

And in this case, like the Spice Girls sang way back, magic happens when the two become one.

Purple lipstick and gloss aren’t colors you see every day, so at first I was a little intimidated. But I found layering Ever So Rich on top of Lavender Whip creates a shiny mauve lip that looks natural and NOT scary at all.

Here’s one layer of Lavender Whip lipstick…

This lipstick by itself is a little too purple for me, yikes!

It becomes much more wearable after I add a layer of Ever So Rich. The gloss tones down the purple lipstick color and infuses it with a hint of pink.

The combo’s gonna be a nice alternative to a nude lip look when I don’t feel like wearing a beige or peach. I can’t wait to wear it with smokey gray eyes.

If you’re heading down to the counter to check out Creme Team and feeling adventurous, I hope you give it a try! 🙂

Obey the kitty


Even though Tabs is on my shizzlist right now I can’t help but marvel at what that cat does in his spare time. He joined this new group and now claims to be part of Chairman Meow’s feline revolution.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.